The present invention relates to the field of document management in session-based applications on a shared network, preferably on an embedded web server system. A “session” is a period that starts when the user initiates a connection with the web-based application from his browser. The session ends when the user closes the connection or when a period of inactivity has elapsed. In some applications, multiple users having multiple sessions may access and update document files stored on a web server. If every session/user can update a common file at will, there will be unpredictable results. For example, a user in a particular session may cut a page of the document while a user in another session may want to move that page to another location. If all the users are able to make to change the document in a different manner, this can result in irrevocable damage to the files, including overlapping edits, lost data or even the deletion of the file. In this manner, much confusion and inefficiency can result in the management of files and documents in a network.